How to redecorate your home the green way

In this age of sustainability and keeping natural resources and a clean environment in mind, is it possible to redecorate without hurting Mother Earth? The answer is a resounding yes.

 

With a few changes and adjustments—and a little craftsmanship on your part—you can beautify your home while reducing your carbon footprint. Here are several tips for how to redecorate your home the green way.

Reuse and Recycle

Don’t rush to buy all-new furniture; there’s life in the old pieces yet. Even if you don’t consider yourself especially crafty or handy, you can apply basic upgrades and fixes to your furniture to make it look better than ever. 

 

Sand down, refinish, and even repaint all-wood furniture in striking new tints and shades. Take a course to learn how to reupholster out-of-style but still sturdy couches or chairs. Reshuffle old pieces in the living room to find new uses for them in the farther reaches of the house. 

 

 

 

Thrift Your Way to Beauty

Another way to save money and the planet is to find quirky, charming old furniture and decor at thrift stores, vintage shops, antique dealers, and estate sales. You might be surprised at what’s available, whether you prefer contemporary or classic designs. 

 

And as I mentioned above, with a little tender loving care, you may find a piece or two that you can bring back to new life.

 

 

 

 

Buy New Furniture Made From Sustainable Materials

When you do buy new furniture, purchase products you know have been sustainable made. Wood is the queen of sustainable materials, offering beauty, luster, versatility, and strength. When you buy original pieces, deal with carpenters and woodworkers who participate in programs that replant several trees for each one they use to build furniture. 

 

Reclaimed wood furnishings are another great way to send the message that you'd prefer to support manufacturers who aren't contributing to deforestation. Woodworkers take reclaimed wood salvaged from old buildings and other wooden structures and objects and give it new life. 

 

Other sustainable materials include rattan, glass, bamboo, hemp, and rejected textiles.

Pick the Proper Paints

When deciding how to redecorate your home the green way, don’t forget how much a new paint job can brighten a room. But before you start slapping on the paint, make sure it’s good for the environment. The worst paints to use contain volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. 

 

VOC paints use petroleum-based solvents and other harmful chemicals, while non-VOC paints use water and contain fewer chemicals. Non-VOC paints are much less pungent as well so you can still live in your home while you paint!

 

 

 

Bring Life to the Place With Plants

You can never go wrong with adding plants to your home. Plants bring literal life to a room, as well as fresh air, lovely scents, and a touch of color, whether they flower or not. Talk to the experts at the gardening center about the best plants for your home, according to sunlight and climate. 

 

Try a rubber tree plant for exotic glamor or a miniature lemon tree to provide color and delicious fragrance when they flower.